Archive for January, 2010

Not too long ago, I was having lunch a friend and he listed his 6 steps to making it in New York City. After reflecting on each of these steps, I think they are brilliantly on point.

Step #1: Find a significant other

Step #2: Find a good job

Step #3: Buy an apartment

Step #4: Buy a car so you can take weekend trips outside of NYC

Step #5: Own a second home outside of NYC

Step #6: Attain career status that does not require visits to the office. (Hence you can spend alot more time at your second home outside of NYC)

Let me start by saying that not everyone will accomplish or try to accomplish these 6 steps in the same order. Also, I find it interesting that most of us can acknowledge that even though we may love NYC, we also need some time outside of the city to stay sane. These steps are only for those brave enough to weather the storm long enough to accomplish them all. Many of us will simply move to the suburbs after step #3 or step #4. But some of us have a hard time letting go from New York City altogether. Its like, if we leave, we are no longer the same person.

For many, their identity is closely tied to where they live. Back in 2001, I dated a girl who said she wouldn’t be caught dead above 14th Street. Maybe she was crazy. Maybe I’m crazy for understanding where she was coming from at the time. One thing is certain, if you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere. Keep it real New York. And don’t give up until you complete all 6 steps.

For those of you who have not yet seen Conan O’Brien’s official statement regarding moving The Tonight Show to a 12:05am start time, you can see it here. As you will see from the statement, Conan considers The Tonight Show the “greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting.” I give Conan alot of credit for standing up the NBC brass and staying rationale at a time where the world is changing too fast for people to consider the weight of their actions. Conan has always paid homage to Johnny Carson, and some of his gestures on stage make that apparent. In many ways, it reminds me of how I would stick my tongue out while driving to the hoop after watching Michael Jordan play basketball.

When I first heard about the plan to put Leno back at 11:35pm, Conan at 12:05am and Jimmy Fallon at 1:05am, I thought “well done NBC, that sounds good to me.” Personally, I find that I enjoy Leno the best, not because he is funnier than Conan, but because I think he has better writers and skits. Also, during interviews, I feel like Conan tries to do a joke every 10 seconds while Leno actually seems to be listening to what they say and gives a better interview. I’ll digress because this post is not intended to be a comparison between Conan and Leno.

Mainly, I would just like to make a few statements. #1 Conan, good for you in turning down NBC and their short-sighted offer. #2 Chelsea Handler just isn’t funny #3 David Letterman is sometime disrespectful to guests and is too old to interview the people we most want to see. In his defense, a 60 year old man doesn’t give a rat’s ass about Lauren Conrad, Miley Cyrus, or some new rock band. But he shouldn’t make it so obvious that he doesn’t care. #4 Lets hope that NBC works something out with Conan because I don’t want to see Late Night with Bob Saget or some other nimrod. To be honest, I hear Arsenio Hall is available. Wouldn’t that be the ultimate twist.